work 1 of 2

1
2
3
as in to serve
to have a certain purpose the human kidneys work as a filtering system for the blood

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
as in to perform
to produce a desired effect this headache remedy takes half an hour to work

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5
6
as in to operate
to control the mechanical operation of show me how to work the machine

Synonyms & Similar Words

7
8

work

2 of 2

noun

1
as in composition
a literary, musical, or artistic production unfortunately, many of her works are now out of print

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
4
5
6
as in factory
works plural a building or set of buildings for the manufacturing of goods a glass works where high quality glassware is made

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun work contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of work are drudgery, grind, labor, toil, and travail. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

In what contexts can drudgery take the place of work?

The meanings of drudgery and work largely overlap; however, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than work?

The synonyms grind and work are sometimes interchangeable, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

When could labor be used to replace work?

The words labor and work are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When is toil a more appropriate choice than work?

The words toil and work can be used in similar contexts, but toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When is it sensible to use travail instead of work?

Although the words travail and work have much in common, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of work
Verb
And if all that sounds like too much, BMW is working on a system that would monitor passengers’ health and pull over or call for help in the event of an emergency. HubSpot, 12 June 2025 Though still in the early stages, researchers say this type of synthetic skin could one day help robots work more effectively in factories, dangerous environments, or even assist in disaster relief efforts. Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 12 June 2025
Noun
There’s a deep yearning and caring at work here that is the film’s idiosyncratic strength, but also may be its weakness, plausibility-wise. Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 13 June 2025 The Leo full moon on the 12th encourages you to step into the spotlight, especially in your work or daily routines. Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for work
Recent Examples of Synonyms for work
Verb
  • Middle East stocks largely fell on Sunday, and analysts expect other world markets to slide Monday over fears that rising oil prices will cause global economic disruption and lead to stagflation.
    J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 15 June 2025
  • As kick-off approached, the ground was only a third full and looked likely to cause FIFA some embarrassment.
    Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • Most of our interviewees agreed that criminalization alone wouldn’t solve the opioid epidemic.
    Katherine LeMasters, The Conversation, 13 June 2025
  • But while Burns appeared to solve Oakmont for the day, some players who performed well on Thursday got eaten alive by the nasty course on Friday.
    Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
Verb
  • Coach also served as the designer behind Reid’s 2024 Met Gala look.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 10 June 2025
  • The state’s current governor, Democrat Phil Murphy, can't run again after serving two terms.
    Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 10 June 2025
Verb
  • Standing on one leg and holding for 20 seconds is an example of a balance exercise that anyone can perform.
    Matt Parrott, Arkansas Online, 15 June 2025
  • This way your sales and service teams can not only ask questions about customers, prospects and other CRM activities but ultimately launch agents to perform tasks automatically based on these queries.
    Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • One lectured me once, another taught me how to drive, another changed my tire, and so on.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
  • Blood drives at credit union The San Diego County Credit Union and the San Diego Blood Bank will host a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 30 at four locations in the county.
    Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • An oil refinery was damaged in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, according to the firm operating it, which said no one was wounded.
    Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2025
  • Vienna owns and operates about 220,000 apartment units.
    Ryan Kellman, NPR, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • Flummoxed in Congress, organizing back home The pushback to Trump has been slow in starting as congressional Democrats, outnumbered in both chambers, continue to struggle to devise the strongest message and most effective tactics to use against the Republican president.
    Susan Page, USA Today, 16 June 2025
  • Just as a time traveler from the 1960s would struggle to navigate modern life without learning how to operate a phone, a talented professional in 2025 who hasn’t learned to work with AI tools is out of step with reality.
    Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Verb
  • On Wednesday, police in Seattle used pepper spray to clear out protesters, and officers in Denver used smoke and pepper balls to control a crowd.
    Krysta Fauria, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025
  • Could breeze through the low-minors using just his fastball, but secondary stuff needs work to reach his potential, and focus on development of those pitches will likely slow down his development and lead to more mixed results in some outings.
    Jon Vankin, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025

Cite this Entry

“Work.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/work. Accessed 22 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on work

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!